Recent years have seen technological advancement as was not experienced at any time in prior history. A significant aspect of this technological advancement has been the electronics revolution. This revolution has been brought about, in significant part, by the development of the semi-conductor. Integrated circuit devices have had a significant impact not only upon the consumer market, but also upon the industrial, governmental, and defense markets.
In these varied markets, semi-conductor devices have numerous and diverse applications. In some of the applications in which integrated circuits are used, a hundred percent integrity is essential. One of such applications might be the space industry where lives and multi-billion dollar investments hinge upon functioning of an apparatus employing the devices. In other applications, however, an IC may not be required to function to as close tolerances as are necessary in more sophisticated applications. In these less critical applications of equipments employing integrated circuit devices, the devices may not need to be completely functional in all circuitry paths.
For numerous reasons, integrated circuit manufacturing processes will produce units of differing qualities. It is, therefore, necessary to test the units manufactured not only to determine merely whether or not they are operable, but also to ascertain the level of quality and degree of operability thereof. Completely functional units can then by used in applications wherein close tolerances and accuracy are essential. Those devices of a lower level of quality and integrity might still, however, be able to be used in less demanding applications.
To accomplish such integrated circuit testing, various types of high speed testing devices have been developed. By use of these devices, quality of function and the level of integrity of various types of integrated circuit devices can be ascertained. Typically, such testers can perform evaluation operations at a rate of in excess of a hundred devices per minute. In view of this high speed operation, it is necessary to provide handling equipment which is capable of feeding units to be tested to the test site and conveying those units away from the test site at at least as rapid a rate.
In many cases, the speed of the operator of the handler is the limiting factor governing the rate of testing performed. While the handler can cycle devices at a high rate of speed to be compatible with the tester, operator speed is limiting even when all that is involved is emptying a string of devices, such as DIPs, from storage and transportation tubes onto tracks provided in an input magazine. One reason for the reduced operational capacity of the operator is that he is required to not only load the devices from storage and transportation tubes into the input section of the handler, but he is also responsible for off-loading tested devices at the output section of the handler.
Easy off-loading is often hampered because of inaccessibility of the tested devices in view of gravity feed, a feed method typically used in handlers. Devices in handlers using such a feed system pass downwardly from the input magazine, through a chute to the test site, and further downwardly through a chute after testing has been performed. Because of this downward passage, unloading has typically been performed through the under-carriage of the handler. In the worst case, operation of the handler might need to be stopped in order to permit the operator to perform off-loading.
In order to eliminate speed problems at the input section, the assignee of all right, title, and interest in and to the present invention, this application, and any patent issuing thereon has developed an automated input system whereby expeditious introduction of devices to be tested can be effectuated. The prior art does not, however, include technology for expediting and facilitating unloading of tested devices.
It is to these problems and desirable features dictated by the prior art that the present invention is directed. It is an apparatus for automatically positioning an integrated circuit device transportation and storage tube in registration with a chute through which devices tested at a test site pass, for receiving the tested devices therein, and for presenting filled tubes to the operator for easy off-loading. All of these functions are performed automatically without requiring the benefit of operator intervention other than filling tube hoppers with the tubes, and removing the tubes as they are presented at the output section of the handler.